Gaming machines, such as slot machines, video poker machines, and the like, have been a cornerstone of the gaming industry for several years. Generally, the popularity of such machines with players is dependent on the likelihood (or perceived likelihood) of winning money at the machine and the intrinsic entertainment value of the machine relative to other available gaming options. Where the available gaming options include a number of competing machines and the expectation of winning each machine is roughly the same (or believed to be the same), players are most likely to be attracted to the most entertaining and exciting of the machines. Consequently, operators strive to employ the most entertaining and exciting machines available because such machines attract frequent play and, hence, increase profitability to the operator.
One way to enhance player excitement is to provide more interactivity between the game and the player. Thus far, player inputs have been primarily limited to mechanical and electro-mechanical controls and switches. In one prior art system, a motion sensor was used to only initiate the game, as other mechanical and/or electro-mechanical controls and switches were used as inputs during the game.
As such, a need exists for gaming machines with new types of interactivity to increase the game's excitement for players.